Octant Docs

# Propose a project

Octant is a community-driven platform for experiments in decentralized governance. During its MVP stage we will be using Octant to test various hypotheses related to sustainable financing of public goods and infrastructure. For every 90-day epoch, a range of public good projects will be chosen as potential donation recipients.

Golem Foundation (opens new window) will be maintaining and curating the list of projects eligible to receive funds from the Octant reward pool, based on inputs from the Octant community.

⚠️ To be considered for inclusion, potential donation recipients should meet the Eligibility criteria, and not trigger the Exclusion criteria.

# Eligibility Criteria

# 1. Ethereum-Core Alignment

The project must primarily strengthen Ethereum mainnet through one of:

  • Direct protocol improvements (consensus, execution, data availability, core networking)
  • Critical shared infrastructure (e.g. client software, public testnets & tooling, peer-to-peer networking stacks, security & formal-verification frameworks, impact-certification & transparency protocols)
  • Open dashboards, datasets, or studies, including analyses of roll-ups, bridges, MEV relays, or other external system, if the resulting insight strengthens Ethereum mainnet
  • Protocol-level research and specification work advancing Ethereum's roadmap

# 2. Public-Good Nature

Deliverables are non-rivalrous and non-excludable, remaining freely available to all ecosystem participants.

Optional paid services are allowed only if the core artefacts/functionality stay free and open.

# 3. Open-Source/Open-Access License

  • Software: OSI-approved license (opens new window) (e.g. MIT, GNU GPL 3.0+, Apache 2.0).
  • Research / datasets: Creative Commons BY or a similarly permissive license.
  • Public repositories must show recent commits, issues and documentation that invite outside contribution.

# 4. Technical Credibility

Provide at least one of the signals below (more is better, but a single solid item suffices):

  • A runnable proof-of-concept, prototype demo, or draft spec; or
  • Public prior work relevant to Ethereum (open-source commits, academic papers, blog-series, etc.); or
  • Endorsements or collaboration letters from recognized Ethereum core-devs / researchers.

# 5. Transparent use of funds and sustainability

  • Provide a general overview of how Octant funds will be used.
  • Outline how the work will be maintained after Octant funding.

# 6. Minimum Project Maturity

  • Software: Either 1) a compiling code-base that runs on a dev-net, or 2) a stub repo plus an architecture doc and a milestone plan for the first development quarter.
  • Research: A problem statement, methodology outline, and initial literature survey or exploratory results.

Idea-stage proposals are welcome if they include a concrete three-month timeline and deliverable list.

# Exclusion Criteria

  • DeFi financial products (lending, trading, etc.).
  • Purely educational content, community events, or marketing initiatives.
  • General-purpose grant distribution platforms whose main activity is collecting funds and re-allocating them in a format that involves user voting.
  • Direct-aid charities without technical deliverables.
  • Projects whose primary contribution lies outside Ethereum’s protocol or its immediate roll-ups.

# Evaluation Priorities

Projects will be prioritized based on:

  • Direct impact on Ethereum mainnet security, scalability, or sustainability.
  • Critical infrastructure needs for the broader ecosystem.
  • Potential to create long-term public goods that benefit multiple stakeholders.
  • Technical innovation and strategic importance to Ethereum's roadmap.
  • Clear, verifiable deliverables.

A detailed description of the submission process is available here.

← Submission process →